Friday Lineup Card: Donnie Baseball Stays Hot

Hailing from Arcanum, Ohio, Clay is a proud graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He began writing for RotoWire in the fall of 2011, and now contributes to breaking news and NFL Draft content, in addition to his duties as assistant baseball editor.

Day-to-DayTony Cingrani, P, CIN – (Back) Left Thursday’s start with a strain but expects to take the mound Sunday, as scheduled.Edward Mujica, P, STL – (Shoulder) Dealing with a knot in his right trapezius muscle and will undergo acupuncture treatment.Jake Westbrook, P, STL – (Back) May miss his scheduled start Monday.Brandon Beachy, P, ATL – (Elbow) Scheduled to visit Dr. James Andrews on Monday after feeling discomfort during Tuesday’s start.Jose Tabata, OF, PIT – (Knee) Returned to the lineup Thursday.Starling Marte, OF, PIT – (Finger) Held out of the lineup Thursday for a fourth consecutive day, but was available off the bench and is not expected to require a DL stint.Ian Desmond, SS, WAS – (Back) Scratched from Thursday’s lineup with a back issue.Oswaldo Arcia, OF, MIN – (Wrist) Remained out of the lineup Thursday.Brayan Pena, C, DET – (Toe) Reported feeling better Thursday but was not in the lineup.Max Stassi, C, HOU – (Face) Underwent X-rays and a CAT scan Thursday, and was later sent for concussion tests.Jeff Keppinger, 3B, CHW – (Back) Missed another start Thursday.Paul Konerko, 1B, CHW – (Illness) Removed from Thursday’s lineup because he was feeling light-headed before the game.

Players on the DLCarlos Gonzalez, OF, COL – (Finger) Focused on gripping his bat Wednesday and is expected to starting swinging this weekend.Jonathan Pettibone, P, PHI – (Arm) Experienced shoulder soreness during his rehab start Tuesday and was sent for an MRI on Thursday.Jonathan Broxton, P, CIN – (Elbow) Hit the 15-day DL on Thursday and will likely need surgery.Johnny Cueto, P, CIN – (Back) Moved to the 60-day DL on Thursday.Jason Heyward, OF, ATL – (Jaw) Hit the 15-day DL on Thursday; expected to miss four-to-six weeks.Ryan Sweeney, OF, CHC – (Ribs) Set to begin a rehab assignment Saturday with the club’s Arizona League affiliate.Luis Valbuena, 3B, CHC – (Oblique) Took batting practice Thursday but is not ready to begin a rehab assignment.Tyler Chatwood, P, COL – (Elbow) Tossed three innings in a simulated game Thursday and will begin a rehab assignment Sunday.Roy Oswalt, P, COL – (Hamstring) Still on track to begin a rehab assignment Sunday after completing a three-inning simulated game Thursday.Andres Torres, OF, SF – (Achilles) Placed on the 15-day DL on Thursday.Dan Uggla, 2B, ATL – (Eye) Expected to come off the DL next Wednesday, when first eligible.Wandy Rodriguez, P, PIT – (Forearm) Continued discomfort has led to an appointment with Dr. James Andrews.Clay Buchholz, P, BOS – (Shoulder) Expected to throw 45-50 pitches in his first rehab start Sunday for short-season Lowell.Derek Jeter, SS, NYY – (Calf) Likely to play at least two more rehab games before returning to the Yankees.Michael Kirkman, P, TEX – (Illness) Threw five scoreless innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.Maicer Izturis, 3B, TOR – (Ankle) Landed on the 15-day DL on Thursday.Colby Rasmus, OF, TOR – (Oblique) Resumes baseball activities Monday and is expected to return at some point this season.Melky Cabrera, OF, TOR – (Knee) Unlikely to return to the Blue Jays this season.Brandon Morrow, P, TOR – (Forearm) Officially ruled out for the remainder of the season.Jayson Nix, 3B, NYY – (Hand) Diagnosed with a fractured right hand and was placed on the 15-day DL on Thursday.

Transactions - Players who have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.

New York Yankees – With Mariano Rivera unavailable after having pitched three times in two days (he appeared in both games of Tuesday’s doubleheader), manager Joe Girardi turned to David Robertson to close out Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Blue Jays. Robertson, who ranks second in the AL in holds with 30, turned in a perfect frame to pick up his second save of the year. Rivera has turned it around since his rough stretch there to begin August, and it goes without saying that he’s earned the right to work things out without worrying about looking over his shoulder.

Cincinnati – The Reds’ bullpen was thin Thursday, with closer Aroldis Chapman and right-hander J.J. Hoover unavailable and Jonathon Broxton (elbow) hitting the DL, but Mat Latos saved the day with eight innings of one-run ball against the Diamondbacks. Sam LeCure came in for the ninth, and despite giving up a pair of base knocks, was able to nail down a 2-1 win. Chapman has had sort of a roller coaster season, but he’s firmly entrenched as the closer and while he has just one strikeout in his last three appearances, the left-hander is still striking batters out at a 15.0 K/9 clip.

Baltimore – Manager Buck Showalter left Darren O’Day in to begin the ninth inning of Wednesday’s game, but after O’Day and Brian Matusz both failed to record an out, Tommy Hunter came in and retired the side with 11 pitches. Meanwhile, Jim Johnson has pitched just once since last Friday, and it appears he’s officially out as closer after blowing three straight saves earlier this month. The hard-throwing Hunter may get the first chance to lead the team’s new committee, but Francisco Rodriguez has plenty of closing experience and, if healthy, could eventually claim the job as his own.

Recommended PickupDonnie Murphy, 3B, CHC – Murphy has made a sizeable impact in just 16 games with the big club, smacking eight home runs and driving in 15 over 58 at-bats. The 30-year-old’s production has been surprising to say the least, as he hit .216 with three homers in 52 games with the Marlins last year and compiled a rather underwhelming .265/.338/.457 line in 89 games at Triple-A Iowa prior to his promotion earlier this month. He won’t keep going as he’s going now (.333 BABIP entering Thursday), but Murphy appears locked in at third base for the Cubs and should remain there at least until Luis Valbuena (oblique) returns.

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